This invention relates to methods and apparatus for electronically representing the flow of a product through a manufacturing process, and specifically, to managing a bill of materials such that a manufacturer can track specific materials used in each end product and control the process steps used to construct the end product.
It is useful for a manufacturer to record information regarding the building of specific products. Specifically, with regard to automobile manufacturers, it is beneficial to know that the specific components in each end product can be tracked if needed. However, given the large number of components that are, or may be, used in the manufacturing process, it is quite difficult to successfully track these components. In addition, the storage of this information allows the manufacturers to review the data when appropriate.
The absence of such accurate data retrieval may lead manufactures to engage in statistical recalls. These recalls are based on recalling products within the manufacturing time windows when it is thought the problem parts or processes were used. This method requires the recalling of many more products than actually necessary, resulting in incremental costs associated with such methodologies.